| Cyprus Wines- 1,000 Years of History | | | | By: Ron Kapon |  Page 1 of 2 next >> |
A romantic past- An exciting present- A golden future.
Grape cultivation first appeared in the Black Sea area around 8,000 years ago. From there it spread south-eastwards to Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt, and then across the Mediterranean to Greece and Italy. Cypriot Archaeologist Dr.Vassos Karageorghis stated- “the archaeological evidence permits us to say that the cultivation of the grape vine started in Cyprus some time in the second millennium BC”. When the Greeks settled in Cyprus around 1200 BC, it is likely they found wine already there. Thus, it is likely that there has been a wine industry in Cyprus continuously longer than anywhere else in the world. Legend has it that the first mortal to be taught to make wine was Ikarios, whose teacher was Dionysus, the God of wine. Homer and Euripides praised the excellence of Cyprus wines. Because of problems with sealing vessels to protect wine from oxidation from the air, most early wines would have been sweet. In the 11th Century, during the Crusades, Richard the Lionheart chose the sweet wine of Cyprus “Commandaria” to have with his meals. Invasion followed invasion. Lusignan rule followed by the Venetians and Ottomans. In 1878 the island was ceded to Britain and in 1960 Cyprus became an independent republic. In 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union which necessitated new legislature that classifies the islands wines under a Wines of Controlled Appellation of Origin.
Cyprus is situated in the southeastern Mediterranean, at the crossroads of the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia. Not many wine drinkers know where Cyprus is, let alone what wines they produce. Most assume the wines are the same as found in Greece. Today Cyprus is a modern country that effortlessly marries European culture with ancient enchantment. The Cyprus that is recognized by the UN and all countries of the world (except Turkey) has a population of only 800,000. It is a country of alluring beaches and fragrant mountain peaks; vineyards studded with olive trees and citrus groves and ancient ruins on a par with anything seen in Greece and Egypt. The vineyards of Cyprus are mostly on the southern slopes of the Troodos mountain range near Limassol. The second area is in the south-western part of the island near Pafos. The long, sunny Mediterranean summers are a great asset; they ripen the fruit and give it its full flavor. The winters are mild and the gentle winds and breezes check the frosts, dispel the fogs and protect the vines and grapes from fungus diseases (Cyprus remains one of the few phylloxera-free wine-producing countries in the world).
The four major wineries on the island- ETKO (privately owned with 800,000 bottle production), KEO (a public company with 4 million bottles), LOEL (a public company selling 2 million bottles) and SODAP (a cooperative with 2 1/2 million bottle sales) once controlled almost all the production. In the early 1980’s the Cyprus government encouraged small wineries, in the 50,000-300,000 bottle capacity, to begin operations. I visited three of the Big Four and 10 of the 56 small wineries (total of 2 million bottles). The islands total production is around 12 million bottles (1 million cases) which does not include the 10 million liters of wine exported in bulk, rather than bottle. To put that in perspective the E&J Gallo Winery produces 75 million cases and Kendall Jackson 5 million cases a year. Before joining the European Union most of the Big Four sales were inexpensive bulk wines shipped to the former Soviet block countries.
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